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Tori Ichi Sake Dining, Sydney CBD

Tucked in a quiet side street away from the main roads of Wynyard area finds this little Japanese bar style restaurant. The fairly narrow entry leads us into a brightly lit room with wooden tables on two sides under a black ceiling which classically match the black cutlery and napkins. Suggested by my friend who has enjoyed eating here before, we decided to come here for dinner while we converse on the many interesting stories of our ageing life.

Overwhelmed by the many choices on the menu after a tiring day of work leaves me to pass on the decision making power and just sit back and anticipate what will come. (Sorry in advance for the lack of dish details)

Being at a sake restaurant, we had to order a small bottle of hot sake (~$15). I found it odd that the sake was to be served in wine glasses instead of small clay cups. Personally, i found it quite hard to drink, though I am not much of a sake fan anyway..

Moving on to the food, we grabbed pan fried gyoza to start, and then proceeded to feast on skewered yakiniku.

I remember these honey soy chicken wings were sweetly flavoured, extra juicy and served hot, making you want to keep eating more of it. It was a good start to the meal.

The two different skewers ordered were delicious especially the chicken skewer with teriyaki sauce, cooked perfectly so that the meat was tender, juicy and flavoursome. It is quite easy to say that they were better than expected. The portions were quite generous as well, leaving us quite full.

Due to my love for raw fish, I found this king fish carpaccio dish amazing. The slices were fresh and complemented nicely with the drizzle of a sweet sauce and hint of fresh citrus zestiness added by the lemon. I think freshness of sashimi significantly dictates the quality of a Japanese restuarant. So extra points here!

There wasn’t much special about the egg omelette rolls. They were a little bland in flavour but they were cooked well, soft to bite and served extra hot. Egg is always good, I reckon. Whether it is sunny-side-up for breakfast, scrambled egg in fried rice for lunch or steamed egg soup when your sick.

The tempura udon came at the end when when we quite full already, so it was mostly untouched. Look at how good it looks, I wished I could have it now..

Lastly, the beef tataki! One of the best creations of Japanese cuisine. If you haven’t tried raw beef before, you should. The raw beef is dipped in sweet soy sauce with a raw egg yolk mixed into it. Needless to say, I enjoyed this dish even though by this time, I was practically forcing food down my already bloated stomach.

It was a very decent meal at an affordable price for a Japanese bar style restaurant in the CBD. The staff were friendly and food was served one after another so that the food were still warm when eaten. The portions of the dishes were reasonable, and best for sharing between a good mates. This place is worth re-visiting.